Wednesday, 18 September 2013

With the day temperatures creeping up to nearly 30C I have cautiously started seeds and sweet potato slips out in the garden beds. However frosts can still threaten so I have to be ready to cover them up at night.

Things are getting busy in the greenhouse! The potted up Tomato seedlings are put outside most days when the weather is good.Planting out:Pansies LettuceInto the Grandtwins+1 Special Wicking BedSweet Potato White, Orange and Purple slips into Bed 17 in the Old Chook Run GardenSticky Wattle Acacia howittii in the Orchard

Cuttings: Pincushion Flower Mauve Scabiosa caucasica

The Sweet Potato cuttings (slips) I took at the beginning of winter have survived well. I have planted one of each variety Orange, White and Purple into their position except that the bed isn't empty yet. The plants that are still growing in the bed will provide some shelter to the new slips and by the time the Sweet Potatoes take off the other plants (beetroot and onions) should have been harvested!

Thursday, 12 September 2013

Remember Hills the people that brought the Hills Clothesline to every backyard way back in 1946??? Well just look at what they have developed now...it is an amazing little Wicking Bed Kit. You can get these at your local Mitre 10 or Masters store, starting from $199. When this kit arrived the weather had just turned wintry and stayed that way until recently. I decided that I would build it and let the Grandtwins +1 plant into it. Earlier this month we heard that the kids were coming to visit so I thought I'd would get this bed built and let them plant it up while they were here.The best thing about this bed is that it is a Wicking Bed in a box. All you need to add is the sand in the "pool" area and good growing media in the top for some plants. You get a stand for the whole lot to sit upon. In fact these beds can even go indoors!! We really don't have the room for plants inside and we have so much room outside. So this bed is situated under the Back Pergola.

The first thing to do was to study the box it came in, open it up and find the instruction book. Then check that all the items listed were present. and of course carefully read through the instruction book!!

I found the instructions very easy to follow even with a stuffy head cold!!! Everything is in the box including a nifty hex key and multi spanner for tightening the bolts. Soon I had the frame all put together.

It even includes a moisture/pH probe so you can check the soil whenever you want and see if it needs watering or adjusting.

Next I unfolded the liner and located the drain hole. Put the liner inside the frame and secured it with the clips provided.

Then the edge caps slotted in just right and were secured with the nuts, washers and bolts provided. After I connected the base plate together with a click, I found a level (ish) spot on the not very level concrete. I used Doc's levelling thingy and found a piece of foam matting was just enough to make it perfectly level.

Now comes the interesting bit. The water-hose is covered in a fabric to stop any sand entering and it is all neatly coiled up and secured with ties. The end pipe just needed to be twisted the right way round so that the drainage hole poked through the hole in the side of the unit ready to be secured with the overflow nut. The funnel, for filling, clips neatly under the top corner frame and we were all set!

A layer of sand was added to cover the hose...

Then I needed the help of three very willing Grandies, complete with gardening gloves and hats as the weather was warm that day. They helped fill the box with a mixture of Coir, Mushroom Compost and Potting mix.

When it was full I had to find something to plant in it!! We found some Lettuce seedlings and a Pansy or two for colour. When asked what they would like to plant in their garden box the overwhelming response was CARROTS of course! Luckily I found a strip of Mr Fothergill's Carrot Early Nantes carrots on tape left over from last year so they were easy to plant.

All that was left to do was firm down the potting mix over the carrots and give them a drink...Nanny went off to get a watering can. "Better get two" said little Miss. So I did. Luckily seeds in tape can survive a vigorous watering by two three year olds!!

I'll include this video below that gives a professional look at the assembly of these units. I think this would make the ideal gift for someone new to gardening especially someone wanting to try using the wicking system.

See more videos about Hills Garden Products HereView the Garden Bed on the Hill's website Here

Rain: Year To Date: 301mm (Average YTD: 222.6mm)Comparison with other years: August Average is 37mm:2013 4mm2012 20mm2011 36mm2010 49.3mm2009 19.6mm2008 27mm2007 7mm

Weather Highlights?Things have dried out this month as the rain has only been misty. Day temps are on the rise and it really feels like spring. We still had 11 potential frost days with the lowest of -3C halfway through the month.

Harvest Tally:Doesn't include Greens fed to the chooks on a daily basis or herbs picked for use in the kitchen for cooking or tea making. For Salads, Juice and Stirfries I have been picking Silverbeet, Chinese Broccoli, Celery, Coriander, Cress, Gotu Kola, Lettuce, Kale, Parsley, Beetroot Leaves and Lebanese, Upland and Water-Cress which are not always weighed. The winter harvest is much lower than other months but we continue to eat out of our stored food supply. See side bar for details --->>>Beetroot 645gBroccoli Chinese 123gBroccoli 349gCarrots 2382gCauliflower 1972gCelery 538gParsley 59gSilverbeet 476gTurmeric 386g

Total Veg Harvest for August 6.9Kg

Lemons 850gTangelo 241gTotal Fruit Harvest for August 1.1Kg

Total Eggs for August: 23eggs. 16 From the 1 Farmyard Feral7 From the 3 Faverolles

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Garden Layout

I live in a rural township in the dry Mid North of South
Australia on three town blocks giving us a total of half an acre.
We endure extremely hot and dry summers only to be greeted with frosty
mornings during our increasingly dry winter months.
Despite this harsh climate we manage to grow much of our own food.
Water is scarce and many measures are taken to utilise every drop we
have.
Our garden beds are shaded (during summer), heavily mulched, humus rich
and most are now converted to wicking worm beds. With qualifications in both Horticulture and Permaculture I have fun experimenting with different ways to grow our food!